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Attention, Shoppers! Stores Are Investing Big Bucks In Fitting Rooms To Win You Over

Back in July, I went on a liiiiittle rant about how unfair I find the fitting room experience to be, with its Barbara Walters lighting and tilted "skinny mirrors," and how much I hate feeling all fabulous inside a store only to get my purchase home and regret it under my harsher closet lights. Turns out, that was only the beginning.

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal begged the question, "Why are fitting rooms so awful?" and then pinpointed new ways stores are hoping to increase retail sales by tricking out the dressing rooms with better lighting, more flattering mirrors, and sleeker design, in an effort to "coax consumers to spend more." Among the updates, they mention stores that now have racks of slimming camisoles at the ready to help smooth unsightly bulges (for sale, but of course); Ann Taylor is putting in chandeliers and six different kinds of lighting in their rooms; and Anthropologie has expanded their spaces to accommodate more than one person, so you can bring a girlfriend in with you--"They consider it a little bit of a party," says the company's co-president. Victoria's Secret is testing out a system of call buttons--push one inside your fitting room, and a sales associate is notified via headset. And Macy's is giving bored husbands the ultimate luxury: Waiting areas with TVs tuned to sports.

All of these measures are meant to make your shopping experience more comfortable, which of course means you'll buy more stuff. Do you gals welcome the idea of plusher, more fabulous fitting rooms, or do you think they're just a way to get you to buy stuff you don't really need? Are you more likely to make a purchase if your fitting room experience is a pleasant one? Are there stores you won't even venture into because you know the dressing experience will suck? Do you think these new fancified dressing rooms will be better for your shopping habits, or worse? Discuss!